The Construction of the Other: British Travelers' View of Ottoman Levantines in the First Half of the Nineteenth Century

The Levantines arose as a culturally hybrid community that straddled the boundaries between East and West. Seen by neither Ottoman society nor Europeans as belonging to a distinct group in a strict sense, they constructed an identity that was continually negotiated within the contexts of politics, economics, and culture. While the emergence of Levantine communities has been historically contested, the Levantine identity became more distinct, especially in the nineteenth century, and was described by Western travelers as “neither European nor Ottoman. This article examines the identity construction of Levantines living residing in the port cities of the Ottoman Empire, particularly in Izmir and Istanbul, in during the nineteenth century, and how they were positioned perceived as the “other” by British travelers. It emphasizes that Levantines in the Ottoman Empire were caught between their Western and Eastern identities, leading to their marginalization in both worlds. Seeking to redefine Levantine communities through the lens of British travelers and to reveal how Western perceptions shaped these communities, this study discusses how and in what ways Levantines were marginalized in the eyes of Westerners and how they were considered estranged from their Western identity.